**What if a backdoor didn’t need malware, a shell, or even a running process?** This talk explores **non-traditional backdooring techniques** — built not on binaries, but on behavior. We explore how attackers leverage **configuration, environmental trust, subtle logic chains, and latent system features** to build long-term, stealthy footholds using only native system features. No payloads, no daemons — just strategic misuse of what’s already there. Rather than focusing on registry keys, cron jobs, or service hijacking, we frame persistence in terms of **core primitives**: the ability to **read**, **write**, **execute**, **leak**, **deliver**, or **trigger**. These primitives can be enabled entirely through subtle, often legitimate system features — shell not always required. Some implants exist purely in configuration. Others live only in memory, or activate only when specific, attacker-controlled conditions are met. These techniques don’t rely on conventional malware — and often blend into backups, trust chains, or benign system behaviors. This talk is built from tested tradecraft, real red team operations, and exploratory research.